DEATH OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT
Alexander the Great, was 32 when he died, but in his relatively short life, he had conquered and created the largest land-based empire the world has ever seen.
In 323 BC, Alexander fell ill and after 12 days of excruciating pain, he seemingly passed away.
However, his corpse didn’t show any signs of rot or decomposition for a whole six days.
Alexander’s illness is said to have begun after a raucous night of drinking, in which he downed 12 pints of wine.
Alexander complained of fatigue and general aches the next morning, but chose to power through another dozen pints of wine!
A day later, sharp abdominal pains plagued Alexander, while an increasingly severe fever took hold.
Bedridden and in excruciating pain, the great leader gradually lost his ability to move.
Eight days after his symptoms began, Alexander was only able to flicker his eyes, and twitch his hands.
By the 11th day, the king of Macedonia and Persia, was pronounced dead, though staff claimed he remained sound of mind, right until the end.
Modern-day scientists believe Alexander suffered from the neurological disorder, Guillain-Barré Syndrome.
It’s quite possible that when he “died” he was actually just paralysed and still mentally aware.
Basically, he was horrifically buried alive!
Guillain-Barré Syndrome occurs when the body’s immune system attacks its nervous system, gradually paralysing the victim.
The disease, caused by a bacterial infection in the stomach, does not affect the brain.
This matches the reports that Alexander was sound of mind throughout his illness.
His diagnosis raises the gruesome possibility, that Alexander was still alive, long after he was pronounced dead.
At the time, doctors didn’t use your pulse to check if you were still alive.
Instead they would check for signs that the patient was still breathing.
The paralysis would have gradually restricted his respiratory muscles, until his breaths were so small and shallow, that doctors couldn’t spot he was alive.
Greek scholars later wrote that in the days after his death, Alexander’s body didn’t decompose, proving the warrior king was a god – but in reality, this may have been because he was in fact still breathing!
However, Alexander’s breathing was so restricted, that he likely was in a coma by the time preparations for his death began.
Thankfully he would have had no awareness, when they began their task of preparing him for his burial…..
Much about Alexander’s incredible life ~ and grim death ~ still remains a mystery.
The tomb of Alexander the Great, is attested in several historical accounts, but it’s exact location is an enduring mystery.
Following his death in Babylon, his body was initially buried in Memphis, before being transferred to Alexandria.
There are accounts of Julius Caesar, Cleopatra and others, visiting Alexander’s tomb in Alexandria, though it had possibly been destroyed by the 4th century.
Since the 19th century, over one hundred official attempts have been made to try to identify the ancient site of Alexander’s tomb
.
According to one legend, the body lies in a crypt, beneath an early Christian Church…..
In 2021, Egyptian officials claimed they had found Alexander the Great’s tomb in Siwa Oasis, an urban area near the Libyan border with Egypt.
As of yet, Alexander’s body is still waiting to be discovered…..
The Alexander Sarcophagus is a late 4th century stone sarcophagus, adorned with carvings of Alexander the Great.
It was found in a subterranean necropolis ~ an underground temple or tomb that consists of a series of rooms.
The work is considered to be remarkably well preserved.
It has been widely accepted, that this was not the actual sarcophagus of Alexander the Great himself, merely a monument to his great achievements.
Who made it, and why, also remains a mystery…..
